Carbon-ceramic goes mainstream

Carbon-ceramic brakes could become commonplace within the next 10 years, if a new joint venture involving brake specialist Brembo proves successful.

Brembo and carbon manufacturer SGL are working to reduce the cost of carbon-ceramic discs and make them suitable for mass production.

At the moment, carbon-ceramic discs — which offer greater stopping power and less fade than regular steel units — tend to be made by hand or using partially automated processes. But Brembo and SGL want to change this, and subsequently reduce the cost.

“The carbon-ceramic disc technology is now ready to be applied on a wider scale,” said the CEO of SGL, Robert Koehler.

Initially the joint venture will produce brakes for higher-end performance and luxury cars, but both firms want to introduce the tech on smaller models.